A fair amount of attention has recently been given to Republican Governor Mitch Snyder of Michigan’s move to place a number of Michigan cities under emergency financial management. This possibility has long existed in the state, but it has been strengthened as

Hipness is not an easily measurable concept, but its very intangibility is part of what makes in interesting. If we imagine a hipness quotient connected to cities, we would include, high on the list, places like Palo Alto, Berkeley, Boulder, San Francisco, even New York. Detroit would probably arrive toward the bottom. Recently, however, Detroit has been getting attention that may...